A Perfect Work from Home Opportunity: Start a Transcription Business

A transcriptionist is an individual who types verbatim (word-for-word) something that’s been recorded on either a micro-cassette or digitally. If you are looking for a business to start from home, you might consider working as a transcriptionist because it is a legitimate home business that doesn’t require much in terms of office space, equipment or start up costs.

Special transcription software and equipment helps the transcriptionist listen to the recorded material for tape players and digital files. Both generally use a foot-pedal that attaches to the transcriber or the computer and it allows the transcriptionist to start, stop, go back, and slow down the recorded material to keep their hands free for typing. Most transcriptionists also utilize a highly sensitive headset so that the recording is clearer to hear and understand.

As a transcriptionist, you should have a keen sense of hearing and sight, excellent grammar and fast typing skills. You should also be able to work well under tight deadlines, be able to work independently for most of the time and handle the repetition of typing, which can be a strain on the hands and wrists and the back from sitting for long periods of time. A sharp eye for detail is also essential to this job.

If you want to start a home based business doing transcription, here are some ideas to get you started:

· Get training in transcription & typing. It’s important to get the proper training in order to become a skilled transcriptionist. Check out the local colleges, online programs and be sure to pick up your copy of the Transcription Starter Pack.

· Write a business plan. Just like any other business, a business plan outlining how and what services you plan to offer is essential for clarity, setting up your marketing plan and acquiring business capital if it is needed.

· Set up a home office with the proper equipment. Transcriptionists need some specialized equipment. In addition to having a complete home office, you will need to invest in a reliable transcriber, software, and foot pedal.

· Market your services. You can either get work through a large national transcription company or you can find your own clients to work directly with. A good place to start looking is with any business that involves recording of meetings, notes, research studies or educational materials.

Be sure to set up a website where potential clients can learn more about your services, read testimonials and more. Make sure you also have business cards handy as well.

Let others know who you are and what you do. Often, the best clients come from word-of-mouth. Also, always ask your satisfied clients for referrals.

Transcription is in high demand in the US and according to the Department of Labor statistics, transcriptionist jobs are growing at a higher than average rate. Being a transcriptionist is a career that is easily managed in a work from home setting, which makes it a very attractive opportunity.

Recommended Additional Resource:

To find out exactly what it takes to start a transcription business, step-by-step, sign up to receive your Transcription Starter Pack. You’ll find out how to get clients, set your prices and grow your business.

Creative Home Business Ideas - Sewing Arts

"They" say you should find out what you enjoy doing and then figure out how to make a living doing it. That idea sounds great to me so let's explore a few home business ideas that make use of your love of and ability to sew.

1) Clothes for Children. Consider creating your own line of clothing in standard sizes featuring your unique designs or appliqués and quality fabric and work. Small details in quality can make all the difference in the world. Take the little bit of extra time and care to produce quality items and your customers will reward you with repeat business. You could also offer clothes for hard to fit kids such as preemies, or children of any age with special needs that require custom fitted clothing. Definitely follow your heart on this one.

2) Doll Clothes. There are several paths to go down here. You can make standard clothes for the dolls available on the market, but in styles not available off the shelf. OR you can make clothes using ethnic fabrics in classic styles from a variety of homelands. As more and more people move around the globe in search of education or employment, this could tap into a new niche and be very popular. OR you can make matching outfits for little girls and their dolls!

3) Dog Clothes. Even though dogs already have a fur coat, many breeds have such short hair that they still need protection from cold, wind and rain. There is a huge market for dog sweaters and vests made from a variety of fabrics. Knitted items are also popular. Owners of pampered pooches love to dress them up for Christmas, Halloween, and other occasions. You could have a lot of fun with this home business!

4) Drapery and Furniture. If you have taken classes in interior design or interior decorating, this might be a home business for you. Because of the skills, training and equipment needed this home business is not for everyone, but that can work to your advantage as you would have limited competition!

5) Tailoring. We all know that much of the clothing purchased "off the rack" fits OK - sort of - but could fit a little better with a bit of tailored tweaking. Other times tailoring needs arise because the owner changed sizes (either way!) and does not want to discard an otherwise perfectly good garment when some skilled tailoring will extend its life. If you have tailoring skills, this could be a great niche market for a home business.

6) Wedding gowns and bride's maid dresses. After watching a few "bridezillas" on TV I almost hesitate to even mention this one. BUT if you are the right combination of seamstress and psychologist, you could make it work.

Find the Home Based Business or Work At Home Job that's waiting for you! Don't procrastinate any longer! Visit one of the two websites below and get started TODAY!
123 I Work From Home 4 Me

123 Home-Based-Business-Works-4-Me

Creative Home Business Ideas - Kitchen Arts

"They" say you should find out what you enjoy doing and then figure out how to make a living doing it. Sounds like a good idea so let's explore a few home business ideas that make use of inborn creativity. We will limit this article to kitchen arts.

1) Baking. Baking what? Well, darn near anything.

Try baking and decorating wedding cakes and other wedding treats, birthday cakes, anniversary cakes, or cakes for any special occasion! You could try cookie baskets or huge whole cookie sheet cookies in special shapes for special occasions.

The number of people who are intolerant to certain foods is growing exponentially. I would NOT recommend getting into making treats for these people unless you are VERY familiar with what is involved in their food preparation, but IF you are, special treats for these people would be a Godsend and oh, so appreciated.

Treats for sale at local truck stops or sandwich shops. There are certain legal requirements and permits that need to be passed before selling home baked goodies, but if you are willing and able to navigate through those, this home business could become quite lucrative.

Gourmet treats for dogs and cats. Some people pamper their pets like royalty. If they have the money to do so, they indulge in all sorts of pet finery, including custom made biscuits without dyes, preservatives or other unhealthy ingredients. There will be legal requirements and permits required here, also.

2) Candy Wrapping. Would you believe there is quite the market for candy bars in wrappers created specially for that certain event? Every event you can think of that calls for celebration might also call for specially wrapped candy bars to be handed out. Think birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, new babies. There are several e-books on the market on this topic. Some come with templates for the wrappers as well as for gift tags, gift cards, address labels, etc. Others come with instructions for creating your own unique templates and designs. All come with information on marketing your business.

3) Candy Making. Special events sometimes call for special treats in special shapes or flavors. With pure wholesome natural ingredients and your creativity, your quality product could become a very lucrative business. Chocolates and hard candies can be poured into molds of almost any shape, or you can make them free hand. Colors and flavors are limited only by your imagination! The same legal requirements and permits as before will apply here.

4) You could also combine your candy making business with your candy wrapping business!


For information on these and more Work-At-Home Business Ideas and Opportunities, visit

123 I Work From Home 4 Me

123 Home-Based-Business-Works-4-Me

How Can I Work From Home?

Finding the Right Home Business

There are two basic ways you can work from home: start a home based business or find a work from home job.

If you want to start your own home business you need to break the concept down further into two basic types: sell a product or service, or become in essence a one man (or one woman) company and market yourself as an independent contractor to people who contract for your skills. The distinction between that and finding a work from home job can be a bit fuzzy, so we will focus on working from home with your own home business.

All of us are interested in something, good at something, passionate about something. Figure out what you are passionate about, and then figure out how to make money from it.

Do you enjoy children? You could start a home daycare, but you certainly are not limited to that. If you are also good at writing, you could start a "Santa Letter" business and market it to parents of kids you know. Those letters are not only from Santa; they can be from any character and the business can be operated all year. If you like to sew, you could create and sell custom made clothing. Market to friends, at craft fairs and swap meets. If you have skills in subjects taught in school, you could tutor. Tutoring can be done in person (your house or theirs) or online. You choose the subjects, location, and times. If you have outstanding skills in music, art, or sports, consider giving private lessons. Depending on your skill and skill level you may be able to make a good income!

Teaching sign language to moms and their babies is really popular. You could also offer your services to daycare facilities (home or professional) and churches who have nursery workers that could benefit from understanding what a baby is telling them. Consider also offering the teaching to pediatricians and their nurses, children's hospital workers, police and firefighters, and anyone else who might come in contact with an infant.

Perhaps you would rather work around adults. There are seemingly countless services that adults somewhere are looking for. Consider starting an errand service, or ironing/laundry. You could start a cleaning business, become a professional organizer, party or event planner, or you could sell almost anything through home parties. Create and sell gift baskets or craft items. Consider focusing on a particular ethnic group, either yours or one with which you are very familiar. Almost everyone is interested in genealogy. Acquire the necessary certification and research family trees for people who have "hit a brick wall."

The possibilities are almost endless.

You can find more Home Business Ideas and Opportunities by visiting

123 I Work From Home 4 Me

123 Home-Based-Business-Works-4-Me

Work From Home - Earn Money Writing as a Ghostwriter

Got Writing Skills? Get Paid to Write Every Day as a Ghostwriter

If you have ever dreamed about having a career in freelance writing, you might look into the growing opportunity of ghostwriting. Ghostwriting is the practice of writing works (books, articles, etc.) anonymously for a client. In turn, the client gets full rights to place her name on the writing and publish it as her own.

Side Note: If you’ve heard of ghostwriting before and you already know it’s a career path you want to pursue, I recommend you pick up a copy of Just Add Sweat’s “How to Become a Ghostwriter” Guide. It will show you exactly what you need to know to get started.

But if you’re new to the idea of becoming a ghostwriter, let’s continue…

To get into ghostwriting, there are a few skills you should have or work to acquire:

- Excellent Writing Skills: Certainly to be a ghostwriter, you need to be able to write well. Your writing should flow well, cover topics thoroughly and in many cases, your clients will expect you to capture their unique voice in your writing.

- Research Skills: As a ghostwriter, you’ll be responsible for finding and process all of the information that you will need to be able to do your writing on a specific topic.

- Grammar & Spelling: It might seem obvious, but it’s important to note. All of the work that you turn into your clients as a ghostwriter must be free of any grammar and spelling errors.

Many different types of businesses and individuals readily use ghostwriting services. Authors, business executives, celebrities and others may look to ghostwriters to write books for them. Online business owners, blog publishers and other websites hire writers to create articles and other content. Information product sellers look to ghostwriters to publish how-to and other instructional guides. The sky is the limit when you are looking for people who want to hire ghostwriters.

There are many things you can do put yourself ahead in this field (and the How to Become a Ghostwriter Guide covers these and more in depth).

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

- Start building a resume that will get you noticed. Highlight any writing experience and if you don’t have any, you can offer to do a few free small projects to build your resume. Approach a non-profit business or someone that you know that might need writing services.

- Determine which topics you are qualified to write about. Although many ghostwriters are well-rounded and can write on many researchable topics, having a specialty can help you get work. For example, you might have special knowledge of health, finance or parenting topics. Use this to your advantage.

- Have relevant samples readily available to showcase your writing skills. Many clients are more concerned with how well you write, rather than the amount of experience you’ve had.

To get more help, get a copy of Just Add Sweat’s “How to Become a Ghostwriter” Guide. It will help you discover if ghostwriting is indeed the right career for you, how to break into the business, service rates and more. Ghostwriting can be a competitive business, but there is plenty of room for new writers if you’re armed with the right approach and that’s exactly what the guide will give you. Click here for all the details.

How Can I Work From Home

How Can I Work From Home?

Finding the Right Home Business

There are two basic ways you can work from home: start a home based business or find a work from home job.

If you want to start your own home business you need to break the concept down further into two basic types: sell a product or service, or become in essence a one man (or one woman) company and market yourself as an independent contractor to people who contract for your skills. The distinction between that and finding a work from home job can be a bit fuzzy, so we will focus on working from home with your own home business.

All of us are interested in something, good at something, passionate about something. Figure out what you are passionate about, and then figure out how to make money from it.

Do you enjoy children? You could start a home daycare, but you certainly are not limited to that. If you are also good at writing, you could start a "Santa Letter" business and market it to parents of kids you know. Those letters are not only from Santa; they can be from any character and the business can be operated all year. If you like to sew, you could create and sell custom made clothing. Market to friends, at craft fairs and swap meets. If you have skills in subjects taught in school, you could tutor. Tutoring can be done in person (your house or theirs) or online. You choose the subjects, location, and times. If you have outstanding skills in music, art, or sports, consider giving private lessons. Depending on your skill and skill level you may be able to make a good income!

Teaching sign language to moms and their babies is really popular. You could also offer your services to daycare facilities (home or professional) and churches who have nursery workers that could benefit from understanding what a baby is telling them. Consider also offering the teaching to pediatricians and their nurses, children's hospital workers, police and firefighters, and anyone else who might come in contact with an infant.

Perhaps you would rather work around adults. There are seemingly countless services that adults somewhere are looking for. Consider starting an errand service, or ironing/laundry. You could start a cleaning business, become a professional organizer, party or event planner, or you could sell almost anything through home parties. Create and sell gift baskets or craft items. Consider focusing on a particular ethnic group, either yours or one with which you are very familiar. Almost everyone is interested in genealogy. Acquire the necessary certification and research family trees for people who have "hit a brick wall."

The possibilities are almost endless.

You can find more Home Business Ideas and Opportunities by visiting

123 I Work From Home 4 Me

123 Home-Based-Business-Works-4-Me

Finding A Work From Home Job During A Recession

If you are one of the millions who have been laid off or downsized out of your job, working from home looks really good to you right now! But how do you find a job you can work from home?

Consider freelancing.

When you freelance, you offer your services to those who need to hire your skills for a mutually agreed upon fee. Work is typically done on a per job basis, but can lead to repeat jobs and even permanent part time or full time employment. However, you need to keep in mind that when you bid on a job, there is no expectation of repeat jobs or assignments.
When you look for freelance work, look for jobs that require the skills you used at the job you just left, or skills you have acquired some other way. Some examples might include:

Bookkeeper
Computer Programmer
Consultant - literally subject about which you have knowledge
Desktop publishing
Graphic Designer
Language translator
Proofreading and editing
Transcription - medical or otherwise
Tutoring - literally subject about which you have knowledge
Virtual assistant
Web site design

If you want to work for local people, some of whom might be familiar with you and the quality of what you can do, consider advertising on Craigslist.

If you want to expand your horizons nationally or even globally visit sites like GoFreelance. Keep in mind that GoFreelance and other freelance sites may let you look at jobs for free, but if you want to bid on jobs, especially the quality jobs, there will be a fee. That's how they stay in business.

Don't let the fact that the world economy is currently in a recession keep you from looking for that home based job. Now more than ever employers are looking for just what you have to offer!

For other work at home ideas and home based business ideas, visit

123 I Work From Home 4 Me

123 Home-Based-Business-Works-4-Me